


Straight Into My Arms

by Josh Washington (CaptainSunder)



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 06:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4950496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSunder/pseuds/Josh%20Washington
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Straight Into My Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes." Find it on tumblr at [until-dong](http://until-dong.tumblr.com/post/130670661348/38-with-sam-x-mike-maybe-you-dont-have-to-ofc).

There’s a twenty-four hour gym near her house. Sam swipes her key-card and pulls out a mat to do warm-ups for fifteen minutes. Then she’s on the various machines--today is chest day, and she hits the butterfly machine, the chest press, the bench press, and a few others. Next is the treadmill. Headphones in her ears, she puts on something loud, something new, something Mike recommended. She pounds through a playlist of loud early-2000s whiny alt-rock, staring at the numbers on the treadmill’s screen instead of herself in the mirror that stretches the entire wall. Afterwards, she pulls the mat out again and does cool downs for another fifteen minutes.

Sam entered the gym at 1:00 and leaves at 4:00.

In the morning.

She doesn’t have to sneak back into her house, because her parents trust her, but she still turns her headlights off before she pulls into the driveway, and holds the doorknob when she closes the front door so it won’t click. She takes her sneakers off and climbs the stairs in her socks, slips into her room quietly, and lies down on her bed, over the blankets.

When she closes her eyes, sleep slides in easily, pulling at her sore muscles, easing the ache, and she relaxes, unthinking, falling down into the darkness of the mines.

She has classes at ten, but she’s awake again by seven, ripping out of sleep with a sharp sound too quiet for a scream.

Two-and-a-half hours is a decent amount, she supposes, so she climbs into the shower instead of trying to go back.

Her mother calls through the door, offering to make her some french toast.

“I’ve eaten already,” she calls back. Holds her shaking hands against her stomach, pretends the nutrient bar she threw up 12 hours ago counts.

~

Sam has ten unread texts--one from Chris, two from Ashley, and seven from Mike. Her eyes glide over the previews as she sits in her car after her last class, the late afternoon sun casting a glare on the screen

“Hey, Mike texted me...”

“so what’s up?” 

“Mike wanted me to txt...”

“sam, are u ok?”

“sam?”

“Sam, hey, are u alright?” 

“are u ignoring me?”

“sam?” 

“So, I was thinking, maybe...” 

“yo sam, what’s up?” 

She reads his thoughts in reverse, sees the casual friendly texts descend into worry, contacting others to make sure she’s alright.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just going to the gym,” she writes back without fully reading any of them, and stuffs her phone into her gym bag.

~

She runs through her routine. Warm up, weight machines (this time working on her back), treadmill. Cool down is next, but her head is pounding and she’s beginning to see in triplicate, so she pauses for a few minutes, sitting on one of the benches lining the front of the gym.

Her breath is coming too fast, sweat soaked workout clothes sticking to every inch of her skin, uncomfortably hot. She rests her face in her hands, trying to even her breathing. She wants to keep going--to get back on the treadmill and just run and run and never stop. Let the sleeplessness and the dark of the mines be crushed under her steps and left in the dust.

The steady sound of weights being moved, the hum of people working out, fades after a moment, and she jerks up with a start, trying to shake the heaviness in her limbs and eyes.

The door opens next to her, and she hears, “Sam?”

She looks up, and Mike is there, hanging in the door to the gym, heavy brows furrowed. “Holy shit, I’ve been looking all over for you. Are you alright?”

Sam stands, but the floor seems to rise with her, the building tilting on an axis.

~

“Sam? Sam, hey, Sam, come on, I’ve got you.”

“Mike?” She opens her eyes, though she can’t remember ever closing them. Somehow she’s looking up at the ceiling of the gym, at Mike hovering over her, face screwed up in panic. “What happened?”

“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes,” Mike says, a strained smile pulling at his lips.

She laughs shortly, the sound strange and unfamiliar. The last time she laughed was Blackwood.

The tension in Mike’s face eases, and with his help, she stands and sits down on the bench again, resting her elbows on her knees and letting her head hang down.

“God, I was worried about you,” Mike says, sitting next to her, rubbing a hand across his mouth. “I thought you were ignoring me cause of the date thing, not that you were busy working yourself to death. When was the last time you ate? You’re shaking like a leaf.”

Distantly, she realizes he’s right, but her mind snags on his words, and she sits up straight. “Date thing? What date thing?”

“Oh, you know... the text I sent you?”

“I didn’t, uh, read them,” Sam admits.

He looks around the gym, finding a machine to study intently. “Oh? I mean, well, I sent you a text. Not that important, just...”

She pulls her gym bag from one of the storage cubbies next to the bench, digging her phone out and flicking through her messages. Reads, “So, I was thinking, maybe if you weren’t busy, we could go get lunch later? Like on a date?”

She snorts into her hand as she reads it again, and Mike coughs awkwardly next to her.

“I can’t believe you asked me out over a text message,” she says.

“Yeah, well, I got nervous.” He shifts, not looking at her. “But you obviously need some rest. You look like hell.” He seems to realize what he said, and adds, “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right,” Sam says quickly, putting the phone back in her bag. “I... haven’t been sleeping very well.”

It doesn’t need any more explanation than that, really. He nods, says, “Yeah, I don’t get much sleep either.”

“Yeah.”

They sit in silence, and she knows she’s ruined the friendly mood, set both of their thoughts onto dark paths.

“Come on, you should get home anyways. Get something to eat.” Mike stands, offers her a hand. “You know, you can talk to me about it. If you want.”

She says nothing as he pulls her up, but when Mike tries to let go and turn, her hold brings him back. He gives her a questioning look, and Sam opens her mouth, struggling for an excuse, to say something. Her fingers run over the stumps of his pinky and ring, and she can’t make her hand open.

“Sam?” he asks, turning to her fully again, brow creasing.

“Let’s go out. For food,” her words come out halting, as if her own tongue is unsure about this decision, but she can’t stop. “Together. On a date.”

“Are you... sure?” Mike asks, but he’s smiling in a strange mix of worry and relief.

“Yeah, I think that would be nice. And... I’d like to talk to you. About what happened. If you don’t mind?” Sam lets his hand go, finally, but he catches it again, and looks as surprised as her by the action.

The smile he gives her is softer than she’s used to from him, all his bravado melting away. “Yeah, that would be great.”

She returns it, the pull of her facial muscles strange and unfamiliar all at once. Like coming home again after a long time away.


End file.
